


A Demacian Dragon's Descent

by SmutKnight



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Emotions, F/F, Guards, Lesbian Character, Monster Girls, Romance, Slow Romance, Yuri, armour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23568187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmutKnight/pseuds/SmutKnight
Summary: When Shyvana came into Prince Jarvan's service, she thought she'd finally found her home in the city of Demacia. Not all saw the half-dragon with a similarly kind gaze, however. Torment, hatred and mockery drive Shyvana further and further from the empire that promised to accept her, leaving her wondering if she can even call it home anymore. Seeking solitude outside the city walls, she is happened upon by an empathetic woman with an equally unusual appearance...
Relationships: Elise/Shyvana (League of Legends)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. An Insubordinate Instigator

“ _ It don’t matter how loud you yell love, not one of us gives a fuck what you have to say” _ The guard remarked smugly, leaning against the outer wall of the city of Demacia with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was cocky and defiant, even with the armoured half dragon stood angrily glaring over him.

  
  


“ _ You will do as I command as I am captain of the guard and your direct commanding officer!” _ The half-dragon snarled, her voice simmering with rage and coming across as more of a guttural growl of some wild beast than a shout, betraying her draconic heritage. The guard’s expression didn’t change, if anything he seemed to be smirking more than before. 

  
  


_ “I ain’t going to do shit because you’re not a real soldier. You’re not one of us. You’re not even a real Demacian. We all know you’re that thick-as-pigshit prince’s play thing and that’s the only reason he hasn’t had Vayne hunt you down like the beast you are.” _ The wretched man shot back, that sickeningly smug smile still clinging unwaveringly to his lips. Even though he was almost a foot shorter than the half-dragon and every demacian and their mother knew just how strong she was, able to split a 2 inch greatshield with a swipe of her fists, he didn’t back down and remained unintimidated by her hate filled gaze. Shyvana’s eyes narrowed as she stared the man down, her mind racing with how best to regain control of the situation.

  
  


“ _ The rest of my men don’t seem to have a problem with patrols; so why is it you seek to mock my authority and risk your career, let alone your citizenship, by defying an order from your superior?” _ Shyvana inquired, her body rigid with rage with the exception of her fingers which curled and uncurled, exercising great restraint in not tearing this man down with her talon-like claws. He laughed in her face, still defiant and evidently ludicrously self confident to so brazenly mock such a powerful half-breed. The semi-circle of guards around them both stood silent, the tension in the air palpable. Those stood directly behind their commanding officer gripped their spears with white-knuckles, unsure as to whether they would need to intervene. 

  
  


“ _ I’m not risking shit, and I’m not taking orders from some bitch born of wicked magic neither. You honestly think anyone’s impressed by this little hissy fit of yours? That anyone’s the least bit intimidated? We all know you can’t fucking touch me.” _ The insubordinate guard spat back, standing a little taller and uncrossing his arms, placing his arms to his side with his fists clenched. Though his facial expression didn’t betray it, the sudden onset of sweat beads trickling down his forehead let Shyvana know he was close to pissing himself in fear despite his bravado. 

  
  


“ _ You seem awfully sure, private Longely. You think your word will beat mine and my entire patrol here? You think the administrators won’t just jot down an apt little note next to your death certificate stating: “executed for treason” when they hear how you repeatedly defied the orders of your commanding officer? That is after I drag your corpse back to the barracks, of course.” _ Shyvana remarked, her lips in a tight grimace, her heart pounding in her chest at having such a heated exchange with someone during what was supposed to be a relaxing patrol. The man cowered slightly as his eyes flitted down to her claws for a moment, before turning to the rest of the guards for support. 

  
  


“ _ You really think these are  _ **_your_ ** _ men? That they won’t rightfully speak of how you turned feral and savaged one of your own? Have you dragged before the crown and executed for being an irrational monster? That is of course assuming the crowds don’t kill you in the streets before you even make it there, I’m far from the only one that sees you for who you really are, beast.” _ He replied, his voice trembling and faltering as he began but finding his resolve as his rant continued, smirking once more with renewed confidence. Shyvana was about to take her turn to laugh in the man’s face, only there was another unexpected voice from her side.

  
  


“ _ That’s right, you best let him go.” _

“ _ Always hated working alongside a bloodthirsty bitch like you” _

“ _ You try anything and we’ll put you down right h-her…” _

The last of the voices trailed off as Shyvana whipped her head around to face the guards addressing her with outrage. Her amber eyes looked to be practically smouldering with anger and resentment, surprised to find more than one of her troops sharing the insubordinate man’s sentiment. She made a note of the men who had spoken out, ready to approach them and strip them of their rank right there on the spot, though as her eyes moved about the crowd her heart sank. This wasn’t just a few of her men voicing their opinion, this seemed to be the sentiment of the group. Not one of the men looked to be in support of her actions, either scowling at her, gripping their weapons tight, or avoiding her gaze completely. Her steely authoritative expression faltered for a moment, replaced by a look of complete betrayal, but only for a moment. 

  
  


“ _ I’ll have each and every one of you trialled and stripped of your rank. Never in all my years of serving the crown have I ever witnessed such-” _ She was cut off, the guard previously leaned against the wall now stood behind her; sword drawn and held towards her. 

  
  


“ _The only service to the crown you’ve done is acting as the royal cum dump, you stupid slu-_ ” He stopped, fear on his face as Shvana whipped back around to face him, advancing with alarming speed. He let out a cowardly yelp as he swung out with his broadsword which clanked uselessly off of her armour plates. The remaining guards hesitated, not wanting to engage the half-dragon even after partaking in what was essentially a mutiny, knowing full well her battle prowess. They watched on in shocked silence as Shyvana pounced upon him. In one fluid motion she seemed to slink down to knee-height just before him, landing on her hands and springing herself upwards driving her shoulder hard into the man’s sternum. The subsequent blow sent him sailing a few feet backwards where he landed in the muck, the guards in the way stumbling out of the way before he collided with them.

  
  


Had the guards not been so amped up on adrenaline, fearing a full on battle with what amounted to a fully fledged dragon in a vaguely humanoid form, they might have noticed that despite her treatment she was still exercising restraint. Had she wanted to, she could have separated his head from his shoulders with one swift swipe of her talons, instead opting to use her strength and speed to vent her rage rather than spill his blood. As soon as he landed on his back with a thud, the dragon warrior thundered to the ground beside him having leapt to meet him. He didn’t even have enough time to wrench the air forced from his lungs back into his body from the impact, before he found himself being lifted from the ground once more. This time however, Shyvana sank her talons through the steel of his steel breast-plate, stopping just shy of his skin as she held him aloft before her. From between her bared fangs came flickers of embers and fleeting flames, as if preparing to douse the man in a torrent of dragon-fire.

  
  


The guard whimpered, and the more perceptive of his companions noticed he had wet his breeches, closing his eyes tight and preparing to meet his searing end at the hand of her fire. Shyvana roared in rage as she aimed her head past his shoulder, projecting a torrent of fire fuelled by anger, singing his sideburns but leaving him otherwise unharmed. Silence prevailed outside the walls, pierced only by the distant shouts of guards atop the dizzyingly lofty heights of the wall itself wondering what the hell was going on. On the ground however, you could hear a pin drop. That was until Shyvana’s fury found a more satisfying punishment for the insubordinate man. The guards covered their ears and the man held before her yelped in pain as the area was filled with the horrid screeching and bending of metal. She dropped the man, cursing and crying, now unable to move his arms thanks to Shyvana crushing and deforming his armour to the point of him most assuredly needing to be cut out of it. 

  
  


She stared down the guards around her, knowing full well she could not punish an entire troop of guards, deciding on her best course of action. Though her lips held firm in a furious sneer, teeth bared, below the surface panic and disappointment were beginning to set in. It wasn’t that she had lost her temper, after all she had managed to injure only his pride and trap him within her breastplate with perhaps a few cuts here and there where the metal bent. Considering her ferocity on the battlefield, the man had been ludicrously lucky to have survived her focused anger at all, the half-dragon unwilling to slay her own no matter how hateful. It wasn’t the hateful things he’d said, or the way he’d refuted her position she so rightfully earned. It was that none, not one of her men or women that formed her guard, had sided with her. 

  
  


“ _ I will be completing this patrol by myself. You may… you all may return to the barracks. Someone take Longely to the blacksmith so they can cut him out of his armour. Don’t worry about getting it repaired, he won’t be wearing it again.”  _ Shyvana barked, her fists clenched to try defy the wave of emotion that threatened to topple her resolve. The guards said nothing, simply watching her with anything from fear to disgust. She turned her back on them all, standing on Longely’s chest causing him to groan as she continued marching the outer perimeter of the city. Though she didn’t look back, the clanking of armour and muttering of voices let her know they were at least doing as they were told. 

  
  


Given the length of the wall and size of the city itself, any given patrol would only ever be from one gate of entry to another; little more than a quarter of the total circumference. Shyvana however marched right past the first gate, continuing on to the second, and as the sun began to set she found herself still walking as the wall adjoined the mountains and the surrounding farmland gave way to oppressively thick forests. All the guards she passed avoided her gaze, hearing mutterings with her keen senses of guards high above her on the wall, knowing word of what had transpired must have gotten out already. After all, news spread quickly among those bored on border patrol. 

  
  


The sun began to set behind the mountainous western edge of the city, Shyvana having not stopped nor unclenched her fists as she marched, stopping as she watched the torches spring to life atop the walls. She would have to head back soon, lest people come looking for her. She stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to face the way she had come, the tension releasing in her fists. It was at this moment the emotions of the morning’s encounter finally caught up to her. Tears welled in her eyes, and not wanting to be seen by guards on the wall, she wandered into the treeline. There she slumped against a tree, crying into her palms and then holding her knees tight against her chest as her tears turned into uncontrollable sobs of misery. 

  
  


This was her home. Demacia was supposed to be her home. Snatched from the Dragon’s nest and traveling by land and sea for all of her childhood, passed from person to person, trying her hardest to be like those around her and to fit in. When she had saved the Prince all those years ago and he had anointed her an honorary demacian and member of his guard, it had been the happiest day of her life. She finally had a home, a people to which she belonged to and was an equal. That was what he had promised her, anyway. While it was true this was how the Prince treated her, Jarvan treating her like family from the very moment she had become under his employ, the citizens did not see her through his kind eyes. They saw her as a monster. They hated her, feared her, or were outright disgusted by her strange appearance. Accusations and rumours of foul magic or beastly urges circulated constantly, and this wasn’t the first nor she suspected the last time a guard had defied her because of it. She hugged her legs tighter, her vision blurred by tears, wishing she could just be a normal woman. Just be able to fit in…

  
  


From somewhere in front of here a twig snapped, though not one on the ground. From high in the forest canopy, a black almost spikey looking shape descended slowly until it was dangling a few feet in front of her. Shyvana stood up in an instant with her back against the bark of the tree, fiercely wiping her eyes with her arm in an attempt to clear her vision still marred by sorrow. Despite how vulnerable she was, despite her flailing and her growls, the figure did not move and simply sat in place; balanced upon a swing-like seat of interwoven webbing.

  
  


“ _ It’s Ok dear, I’m not here to harm you” _ The pleasant almost regal sounding voice called out, the shape of a pale-skinned woman steadily coming into focus as Shyvana’s fear turned to confusion.  __ __


	2. Chapter 2

The tears steadily dried from her eyes, her vision no longer a mess of blurred shapes and shadows, leaving her gaze struggling to focus on the figure now in front of her. Given her beastly heritage, low-light left little to the imagination as her eyes were quick to adjust to even the darkest of environments. Despite this however, portions of the woman’s body remained out of focus as if mere shadows suspended in the air behind her. In stark contrast, her skin was immaculately detailed given how snow white it’s hue was. It almost seemed to sparkle in what faint lunar light pierced through the foliage above: a beautiful portrait of porcelain that exuded femininity. Her full rouge lips were curled into a smile, yet despite Shyvana’s instincts screaming danger at the mere presence of the strange woman; there was no malice or mischief in her smile. 

  
  


What the half-breed had first supposed to be some fine silken swing or hammock, glistened unnaturally and swayed effortlessly in the gentle breeze. Following its length up towards the oaken canopy, she was confused to see the material spider out in a web of interconnecting strands. With a gasp of startled realisation, her eyes flicked down to the mysterious almost ethereal woman just in time to watch her disembark from the web seat she had been perched in. Her suspicions, or rather fears, were confirmed when the woman stepped tentatively forward and into a beam of moonlight that illuminated the enormous spider legs sprouting from the otherwise enchanting woman’s back. The crown guard’s chest tightened, ready to take flight or charge forward at a moment’s notice should the situation turn dangerous. The seemingly friendly figure seemed to hesitate as she spotted the fear and distrust in Shyvana’s eyes, a hint of a frown gracing her full lips for only a moment. 

  
  


“ _ Dearie me, I had hoped someone as strange as me would be more welcoming and not so quick to judge one on appearance alone” _ The pale woman mused, a playful tone of voice that served as a masquerade for the disappointment evident on her face despite her best attempts to maintain a smile. Shyvana’s eyes narrowed, turning from shock to suspicion in an instant, seemingly put on the defensive from her accusatory statement. 

  
  


“ _ I judge based on character and merit, not to mention intentions. Your ‘appearance’ means little to me when so far the only intention you’ve made clear is your desire to sneak up on an unawares woman.” _ Shyvana retorted, trying her best to assert her dominance over the situation and demonstrate she was no easy pickings, suspecting that the woman’s perceived friendliness was merely a facade to hide much more sinister intentions. Despite the overt aggressiveness of her sentence, she did not have the posture to back it up; still finding herself leaned against the tree she had been crying against with her hand nervously clutching her forearm hugged tight against her stomach.

  
  


“ _ Oh, I… I just saw someone in need of comfort. Sneaking is unfortunately something that is in my nature dear, but it was by no means my intent.” _ The spider-like woman explained, seeming to make a conscious effort to conceal her additional appendages flat against her back. This demeanor shift did not go unnoticed by the perceptive dragoness, sensing that perhaps there was truth to her words after all. The initial shock of her inherently startling appearance had begun to wane, and for the first time it really dawned on her; she was a half-breed too.

  
  


“ _ I understand that, I’m… I’m sorry if I was accusatory. You caught me in a bad moment, that’s all. You don’t have to hide your, um, your  _ **_different_ ** _ parts. I’m different too, like you I mean” _ Shyvana explained, making a point of holding her clawed fingers up for the woman to see, trying her best to be discrete in wiping the last of her tears away with her upper arm. This revelation seemed to catch the pale woman off guard, perhaps having not yet noticed the purplish hue of her skin or the splotch-like scales on her body in the dim evening light. Her sweet smile once laden with concern transitioned into something more akin to an excited grin at the apparent realisation that she had more in common with the crying Demacian than she had first supposed. 

  
  


“ _ Oh my! May I… may I get a closer look? I don’t want to approach without your permission lest you use those gorgeous nails of yours on me after all!” _ The woman giggled, sauntering a step closer before stopping, roughly ten feet still between them both. It appeared the pale woman was doing all she could to ensure she was not seen as a threat, with her show of respect going a long way to assure Shyvana that there was no ill intent in her actions. Were she fully composed and not having just been caught sobbing and completely unawares, she might have demanded the somewhat monstrous looking woman keep her distance. As it stood however, she had endured a painfully humiliating day and she would be remiss to decline an opportunity for a possibly pleasant interaction. 

  
  


Hesitantly, with a final stifled sniffle, she held her taloned hands out towards the oddly arachnid woman. She took a moment to hold the pale woman’s gaze, trying to gauge her intentions and perhaps dissuade any potential funny business. The smile she was met with was as warm as it was sincere however, causing her to blush and turn her gaze away in surprise. The eyes usually upon her, those of her fellow soldiers and passing citizens of Demacia, were always full of fear or even disgust; these eyes however were soft and welcoming, something that caught her thoroughly off guard. With a few steady steps forward, making sure to take her time lest the draconic Demacian perceive threat in her movements, the snow-white woman gently took Shyvana’s hand in her own. Her hands were dainty and delicate in comparison to Shyvana’s gauntlet-like mitts, and yet they handled her scaled fingers as if they were fragile petals that could suffer only the lightest touch. 

  
  


She studied them intensely, one hand holding her crimson-scaled palm while the other traced her claws with her finger tips. For the first time Shyvana got a clear view of the woman’s fingers, surprised to find a similarly sharp set of red claw-like nails. She wanted to speak up, inquire as to the woman’s origins, but the sensation of her pleasant silky soft skin against her own was as enjoyable as it was disarming. A curious look upon her face, she turned the woman’s hand in her own and seemed to be running her finger tips over each and every last inch of her scales. Her hands were her weapons, with countless noxian, monsters, beasts, and everything in between, having been struck down and delivered a swift clarification of their mortality with these sharp extensions of her draconic heritage. Despite the literal litres of blood that had at one time or another stained these hands, the half-spider seemed to regard them as delicate works of art to be admired rather than murderous implements of fear and bloodshed. 

  
  


“ _ I’m Elise, by the way~” _ The pale woman cooed, taking her blood-red eyes off of the woman’s similarly coloured scales for just long enough to make Shyvana blush with her eye contact. Though seeming to have read the question hovering on her very lips before she had even had the chance to speak it, the name brought with it a sinking feeling of suspicion despite the thus far friendly actions of her surprise companion. After all, though perhaps the fact she had found this woman on the cusp of the Demacian empire’s capital city deep inside of its territory had kept the thought at the back of her mind, she had heard of an Elise said to carry ‘monstrous’ features before. The realisation must have shown on her face, for the pale beauty immediately let out a disappointed sigh as she let go of Shyvana’s hand and took a hesitant step back. 

  
  


“ _ Ah… my reputation precedes me…”  _ She admitted with a saddened almost borderline pained expression on her perfect porcelain face. 

  
  


“ _ I shouldn’t have told you m-” _

“ _ You are the baroness Elise from Noxus? An enemy of my people? An enemy of my homeland?” _ Shyvana interrupted with a fierce shout, a look of utter betrayal and anger bubbling beneath her fire-red cheeks as she clenched her fists. Elise took a step back, her hands raised in an attempt to emphasize her non-threatening presence. 

  
  


“ _ Most would call me  _ **_lady_ ** _ Elise, but yes, I am. But I am not your… I’m not an enem-” _ She attempted to explain, a ferocious beastial growl cutting through the air and seaming to steal the very breath from her lungs as she gulped. She had heard legends of Jarvan’s ‘pet’ dragoness, and how her rage was hot enough to burn straight through even the sturdiest of Noxian shield-walls. She had thought it hyperbole, but even stood a mere three feet away from the woman; it had suddenly become near unbearably hot as the half-dragon’s eyes narrowed in anger. It was as if she had been plucked from the pleasantly cool summer evening air and dropped abruptly at the very precipice of a volcano mere moments from eruption. The very ground the Demacian guard stood upon had begun to visibly smoulder, her thick crimson plate armour glowing steadily more amber as her anger quite literally heated it up.

  
  


“ _ You  _ **_dare_ ** _ tread on Demacian land! Are you here to plunder our villages? Or are you here to try to kill me? Speak before I melt that smirk from your face… where you… stand?” _ Shyvana began, her voice thunderous and confident in its righteous accusations; only to peter out to a confused question as she noticed Elise’s expression. 

  
  


She had expected Elise’s eye to narrow, her monstrous spider limbs to twitch and crack menacingly, her veil of friendliness abandoned in favour of murderous intent at having her true identity revealed. Instead however, she found no insidious smirk on those plump red lips. Elise was frowning, her lip trembling slightly and her hands by her side defeated. She opened her mouth to speak, her eyebrows raised as if on the cusp of delivering some equally grandiose retort that would put the angered Demacian in her place, and yet no words escaped her lips. She looked completely taken off guard, the masquerade of a confident almost sultry woman dropped revealing that of a timid little girl. Shyvana at once felt a sickening pang of guilt, despite knowing of the evil murderous deeds attributed to this weaver of webs she couldn’t help but shake the image of this vulnerable looking woman from her mind. Just as Shyvana prepared to demand she leave Demacian lands at once, having been swayed by her kindness enough to not slaughter her on the spot, she was surprised to find Elise beating her to the punch.

  
  


“ _ I was here to see you, actually…” _ She replied, her formal tone of voice having dissipated into a meek and downtrodden whisper. 

  
  


“ _ See... me? Why?” _ Shyvana asked, her hands still clenched into menacing fists as she suspected a sneak attack the moment her guard was lowered. No such attack came, however. 

  
  


“ _ You’re like me, well… you’re a m-” _ Elise seemed to hesitate on the word, as if it was a heinous slur so terrible that ought not be uttered aloud. “ _ You’re a monster.  _ **_We’re_ ** _ monsters. I had hoped to… to befriend you. You must know what it’s like, to be… well to be like me” _ She explained slowly, long since having lost the resolve to hold the half-dragon’s gaze as she now simply gazed down at the lightly smouldering grass between them. 

  
  


Shyvana was at an utter loss for words, caught off guard by the raw sincerity in her voice and the decidedly innocent intent with which she had sought the half-dragon out. All notions of expelling the slender pale woman from her lands left her mind in an instant, a speechless expression of sorrow and exasperation on her face. She  **did** know what it was like to be a monster. It was a label that had been given to her from birth and every moment thereafter. Even as a member of the Demacian army and owner of the proud position that was captain of the royal guard; her ‘allies’ continued to eye her with the same gaze one would give a rabid beast. Her aggressive stance relaxed as she mulled over which words would formulate an adequate apology, her armour sizzled slightly as it cooled and the smouldering ground below her snuffed out in an instance. She wanted to reach out and comfort her, but the moment her arm moved the heavy toll of the Demacian garrison’s bell reverberated through the forest. It was the changing of the guard, she would need to return to the barracks and brief the night shift’s soldiers on their duties and patrol routes. 

  
  


“ _ It’s ok, it was a foolish errand on my part. I will leave these lands, don’t worry, though I ask only that you allow me the night to stay and gather my belongings for the journey home. I am staying in an abandoned cottage just east of the crossroads out of the main gate, I would appreciate it if you would allow me a night of peace and not hunt me down, though I understand if you must uphold your duties, Shyvana.” _ Elise solemnly explained, turning her back on the guilty looking half-dragon and rappelling silently up into the forest canopy in an instant. There was a rustle of leaves as the Noxian half-spider skittered through the branches and leaves at a near blinding pace, before the clearing fell silent leaving Shyvana to stew in her incorrect assumptions.

  
  


For Shyvana the walk back to the gated city entrance was substantially more miserable than her march out to the forest in the first place. She had inadvertently turned away someone who surely understood her plight and her day-to-day struggle of not looking like everyone else around them. But… she was a Noxian, was she not? That made them enemies, so why hadn’t she struck her down? She’d never hesitated in killing a Noxian before, and yet she just hadn’t had the motivation despite knowing of at least half a dozen atrocities and bloodbaths attributed to her and her alone. As Shyvana allocated each pair of guards back at the barracks their tasks for the night, the guilt at having let her go began to outweigh the guilt of having so obviously offended her. She had to tell someone of Elise’s presence outside the city walls, it would be irresponsible not to. 

  
  


There was only one man she trusted to make the correct decision on the matter, taking the time to listen to Shyvana’s interpretation of the web-weaver’s intentions and act accordingly. Of course by now it was late, and as such she now found herself stood hesitantly outside of prince Jarvan’s bedchambers. Despite the perceived urgency of the situation, she took a moment to prepare exactly what she would say and realised that despite knowing the prince for the better part of a decade now; she still got butterflies everytime she was about to be in his presence. After all, who wouldn’t? He was handsome, strong, and powerful to boot. She’d be lying through her fangs if she were to say she didn’t have somewhat of a crush on him, but she imagined most who had the fortune of knowing him would probably say the same. Opening the door, she opened her mouth ready to apologise for the late interruption, only to feel her jaw drop in shock and disbelief. 

  
  


There, naked and sheepishly clambering off of the prince’s muscular form, was Luxanna Crownguard.  __


End file.
